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Salad RecipesSri Lankan

Thebu Kola Sambola- A Sri Lankan Diabetic Friendly Recipe

written by Amila Gamage Wickramarachchi September 15, 2014

This thebu kola sambola is a delicious recipe to consume raw leaves.If you like edible leaves in your meal,this is one of the ways you can add Thebu leaves.

Thebu Kola also known as Costus Speciosus is commonly found in most areas of Sri Lanka. Parts of this plant are widely used in Ayurveda medicine. I’ve heard that the leaves of this plant are good for those on diabetic diet due to its ability of lowering the level of blood sugar. However, as of many other Sri Lankan houses, even in my home, this plant was treated as a beautiful plant in the garden.
Thebu Kola - A Sri Lankan Diabetic Friendly Plant
Thebu Kola
Although I’ve heard the benefits, I never got a chance to eat it. Recently I heard from my mother that she makes sambola because it is good for blood sugar. In early this year we visited Sri Lanka and that time my mother in law prepared this Thebu sambola for lunch and as always I operated my camera before eating 🙂

I thought of sharing this recipe because it is one of the Sri Lankan healthy diabetic recipes and of course you can eat it even if you are not a diabetic patient. Yes, I am not with blood sugar problems either!

The taste was good and there is a bit bitter taste which is bearable. If you like Gotukola, then you’ll definitely like this taste. It is common in Sri Lankan cooking that we mix sambola using hand. And of course, to get the real Sri Lankan taste, you need to mix sambola using hand not just mix with a spoon. But for this Thebu Kola sambola , don’t mix it too much then it will be more bitter. Mix it slightly using hand and don’t forget to use fresh grated coconut from a newly opened coconut.
Thebu Kola Sambola- A Sri Lankan Diabetic Friendly Recipe
Slice Thebu Leaves for a sambola


Below is the simple and easy Sri Lankan Diabetic friendly recipe with Thebu leaves. I didn’t prepare this salad/sambola. But I tasted it and liked it much thanks to my MIL. Hope this post will be beneficial for those on diabetic diet and also for those who likes to have healthy food.
Enjoy!

Recipe : Thebu Kola Sambolaya

Ingredients (for 2-3 servings)

Handful of  Thebu leaves(Costus speciosus)
1 cup fresh grated coconut
2-3 small red onion/shallots sliced
2 green chili sliced
Salt to taste
1 tbspn lime juice

Method
Wash and clean Thebu leaves.
Slice Thebu leaves into very thin pieces.
Slice onion and green chili.

In a bowl, mix sliced Thebu leaves, onion, green chili,coconut and salt together with lime juice.
Thebu kola sambola is ready to serve.

Tip:
Mix all ingredients just before serving. Then the sambola will be fresh and tasty.

Other similar kola sambola recipes:

Aguna Kola Sambola

Uluhal kola sambola

Passion Fruit kola sambolaya

Thebu-Kola-Sambola


If you try this recipe, please leave me a comment. I’d love to know your thoughts on this recipe.
Have you tried this leaves before or still treat as a beautiful plant to beautify home?

SambolaThebu
26 comments
3
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Amila Gamage Wickramarachchi

Amila Gamage is the blogger behind Food Corner. She is a Sri Lankan living in Singapore and shares her cooking adventures in this blog. Apart from recipes, you will also find travel, health and kitchen inspirations in this blog. She is the founder of Sihela Consultants. (www.sihelaconsultants.com) She started writing this blog in 2011 and still continuing.

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26 comments

Ruxana Gafoor September 15, 2014 - 3:12 am

something new….healthy one,thanks for sharing

Reply
Amila Wickramarachchi September 16, 2014 - 7:26 pm

yes,these leaves are edible.but most people don’t know that

Reply
beena stephen September 15, 2014 - 5:52 am

Very healthy Recipe . Thank u for sharing

Reply
Kurinji September 15, 2014 - 7:12 am

healthy and yummy salad…

Reply
Navaneetham Krishnan September 15, 2014 - 8:09 am

I have gotukola in my garden though I’m alien to thebu kola. Definitely a must try with those I have and its a perfect fit in controlling my other half’s diabetic.

Reply
Amila Wickramarachchi September 16, 2014 - 7:27 pm

Gotukola is another raw salad we love to eat.Even this tastes good and sure you’ll like it too

Reply
Veena Theagarajan September 15, 2014 - 8:53 am

this is new to me.. looks yum!

Reply
Gloria September 15, 2014 - 9:10 am

healthy and yummy…will def try for my dad

Reply
Amila Wickramarachchi September 16, 2014 - 7:28 pm

Please try this and he’ll like the taste.and good for others too

Reply
Sangeetha Priya September 15, 2014 - 6:00 pm

this green is new for me, delicious n healthy!!!

Reply
Shashi Charles September 18, 2014 - 2:16 am

Thanks so much for sharing this recipe – my mom is diabetic and I am going to send her this!

Reply
Amila Wickramarachchi September 18, 2014 - 3:29 pm

I am glad this post is helpful for you.Hope your mom will be able to find this leaves easily

Reply
Pushpa December 6, 2014 - 12:01 pm

Thanks for sharing ur Thebu Kola Sambol. It grows very well in Queensland, Australia…specially in Summer season. Found no growth in winter season. Long stems can be used for re-propagate for summer season…

Reply
Amila Wickramarachchi December 7, 2014 - 3:15 pm

thanks for the comment and the details.It is nice to know that this plant grows well in Queensland,I hope most Sri Lankans who live in Australia will find this info helpful…..

Reply
PAUL .J November 4, 2017 - 9:27 am

DEAR G.M PL WHAT IS THIS THEBU KOLA

Reply
Amila Gamage Wickramarachchi November 7, 2017 - 1:56 am

It is a common plant in Sri Lanka.Mostly it is grown as a ornamental plant to decorate the landscape/ garden.Costus Speciosus is the scientific name.Please search for a clear image.So,you will identify it.

Reply
Arjuna Fernandopulle November 14, 2017 - 10:18 pm

One of my friend asked me to eat this and I got good results. 100% u can reduce ur blood sugar level from Thebu leaves. Thebu sambole is the best to eat.

Reply
Amila Gamage Wickramarachchi November 15, 2017 - 7:38 am

Yes,true.It reduces blood sugar level.Also eating more can give negative results if you don’t have any high sugar problem.

Reply
Sam Sopiee April 30, 2021 - 12:51 am

Is this the same plant as Cheilocostus Speciosus? I’m having difficulty finding it in Malaysia…

Reply
Amila Gamage Wickramarachchi May 3, 2021 - 11:06 am

Please check this page for some clear pictures of this plant: https://www.nparks.gov.sg/florafaunaweb/flora/1/8/1869
As I found, Cheilocostus specious is a synonym for Costus specious. The flowers are white. (there is a red version as well and I don’t know about it)
Also please note, eating more can give negative results as well. Therefore it is advised to eat these leaves in moderation.

Reply
Orpheus January 29, 2018 - 11:28 am

Thanks for the recipe. But I still believe that we should get this clarified by a biologist or an Aryuvedic Doctor from the Aryuvedic research center in Navinna.Things such as Gotukola, Anguna Kola, Kuringnan kola Karvila were well recognized as good food. But this name sounds alien.

Reply
Amila Gamage Wickramarachchi January 29, 2018 - 1:31 pm

Yes,true.The recipes and tips shared in this blog are for information purposes only.You need to clarify with your health advisor before using any recipe for medical purposes/treatments.
Other than using this as a treatment, Thebu Kola sambolaya is a delicious recipe that you can try at home for usual Sri Lankan meal.Thebu kola sambolaya is much popular in Sri Lankan homes these days and I could see these were selling in some popular super markets too.May be,you haven’t came across.

Reply
wick April 21, 2020 - 10:43 am

yes very good, but how often better get to eat ?

Reply
Amila Gamage Wickramarachchi April 21, 2020 - 10:56 am

Eating moderately with other side dishes won’t be a problem as we do such at our home.(In Sri Lanka). However if you have any specific medical condition it is good to seek professional advice.

Reply
Madz Chambers July 13, 2020 - 5:01 pm

Hi Amila,
I recently heard about Thebu and Anguna and my mum gave me exact recipe same as yours I mixed both leaves with passion fruit leaves majority was passion fruit leaves n little bit if Thebu n angina and I really enjoyed as I lived many years overseas.
But I heard that you must eat Thebu in moderation because it can drain your sugar level. Is that true?
While checking for the benefits of Thebu your blog popped up.
Cheers
Madz

Reply
Amila Gamage Wickramarachchi July 13, 2020 - 5:22 pm

Hi Madz,Thanks for sharing this comment.
Yes,you have to eat these leaves in moderation due to its ability to reduce blood sugar.
This is why these recipes are more suitable as diabetic friendly recipes.
But eating thebu kola,aguna kola as a side with rice and other curries will not be an issue unless you eat a big portion.
I sometimes eat a sweet dessert after such meal because I can feel that I am little dizzy or I need some sugar.That’s my personal experience but I like the taste of these dishes… 🙂

Reply

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